Record-Breaking Thread

Election day in Alberta today with the polls closing at 8:00 PM local. It would seem a major statement is going to be made. In 2015, advance polls set attendance records, but this year approx. 700,000 people cast their ballot at the advanced polls, roughly triple the record set in 2015. The current government is NDP but CBC is reporting that there is a greater than 99% chance the UCP win. I know alot of people are frustrated and people are losing their jobs like crazy. Downtown Calgary (our largest city) is sitting at 26.5% vacancy.

We have a new government. The UCP swept a majority with a proposed 63 seats (44 needed for a majority) and 55% of the popular vote while the NDP won 24 and received 32% of the popular vote. No other party won any seats.

Well got the new issue in the mail today, and the 4 way comparison among mid sized (used to be full-size) trucks surprised me, both the winner and the loser. Two things I did notice, the Ranger and the Gladiator in the pictures shown both had manual drivers seats. The Ranger was 43,000 and the Gladiator was 55,000. Both of those prices seem really steep for manual seats. I guess in the Gladiator it makes some sense because the roof and the doors come off, and power seats would be a liability when splashing through water but still. The other thing I noticed is that they didn’t bring the Gladiator with the manual to the test, even though you can get a stick in every trim level. They also complained about its on road tires, but seeing as how it was the overland and not the Rubicon I think maybe the complaints are a little miss placed, since the Rubicon is the most off road oriented version and would have been more off road capable than all the others, it’s about equal to a ZR2 on paper. That’s actually a comparison I’d like to see, a Gladiator Rubicon against a ZR2 in the backwoods someplace where a Raptor won’t fit.

For major American auto shows, LA had been considered the first of the season, while NY was generally considered the last. Now that the NAIAS in Detroit has officially moved to June for 2020 and beyond, will it be considered the first of the new season, or the last of the previous? Thoughts?

Kind of my point. The placement in June makes it all quite convoluted. Although, with the NY show always happening on Easter week (starting the Wednesday before for press, etc.) it sometimes happens in mid-March. The prior schedule seemed much more fluid. LA in November/December, Detroit in January, Chicago in February, then NY in March/April. Quite the flow.

I suppose when you look at the whole of auto shows, including major international shows in other countries, the June timeframe fits. I know they are doing it because the weather is clearly better in June, and they want to have more interactive events outside of the COBO Center. But, it’s just weird and seems to throw off the balance in the universe.

So I came across a dodge rampage of all things, 4500 bucks, no rust at all, and it’s only on its 2nd 2.2L carbureted engine! Of all the K-Car derivatives it has to be one of the rarest body styles. At any rate I’m sure there will be somebody out there that would pay 4500 for one.

Nasty system of storms gifted us with almost 2 inches of rain during sporadic downpours since the middle of the night. We're past the worst of it now as it hammers most of northern New England and Boston. We've been under flood warnings and watches since last night. It just strafed New York and they've been clear since this morning. Won't affect the Yankee game at all but 100 miles north it's raining and my yard looks like a swamp.

Unfortunately the A6 will be out of commission for a while due to a relatively sudden groaning when I turn the wheel, especially at low speeds. At first it wasn’t bad, but it got progressively worse, and it got to the point that I was concerned for both my safety and the car’s well-being. I thought it was the axle or maybe the flange where it bolts onto the front diff, but it’s looking like it might be something inside the transmission or diff.

Anyway, the Si and TT both fell through, but earlier this week I stumbled upon a pretty nice 09 GTI, and long story short it’s in my driveway now. Hadn’t ever driven one before but now I understand the hype about them. Drives similarly to the B5 Passat that my mom used to drive except better in every way. Looking forward to putting some miles on it!

Congrats on the new ride! Should be reliable and FUN. Too bad about the A6. Still hope to get it back on the road?

Yes, the A6 is in far too good of shape not to make it driveable again. I knew I was going to need a rear diff, and would probably also need to do some stuff under the hood, but due to how much driving I have to do as well as how little time I have to work on it, it knew I was going to need something to drive while it was down.

Sunday - I've been curious about the movie Watchmen for a while, having seen bits and pieces of it, so I decided to watch the whole thing on Netflix last night. UGH. Now I know where the term, "violence porn" comes from.

Off to NYC shortly for the NYIAS tomorrow. Hopefully, I will have fully recovered from the bout of food poisoning that struck Friday night into Saturday morning. I believe the worst is over at this point, so i am looking forward to a nice trip. Pics to come. Stay tuned.

Recall thinking I was dying while groaning out loud in the fetal position during the worst bout of food poisoning I ever had many decades ago. Followed by the amusing thought "No... Death would be easier than this..."

Man that sounds fun. Saw a video clip on You Tube. The high perf eco boost Mustang looks very interesting. Hope I get a chance to drive one. They showed a white Supra that looked really good to me in the video, much better than the still pics I've seen before. Very interested to hear how these and all the other cars look to you in person.

Recall thinking I was dying while groaning out loud in the fetal position during the worst bout of food poisoning I ever had many decades ago. Followed by the amusing thought "No... Death would be easier than this..."

It could be worse. You could be in a foreign country, where toilets are so clean that one would rather die from holding it in.

I will never forget the food poisoning I ran into when I was in India in 1985. Emptied myself out both ends faster than you can blink, with cramps that could kill at 20 paces. That was 36 of the most miserable hours of my life, yet once it was over, I was eating the local foods, having zero problem, and enjoying myself enormously.

I will never forget the food poisoning I ran into when I was in India in 1985. Emptied myself out both ends faster than you can blink, with cramps that could kill at 20 paces. That was 36 of the most miserable hours of my life, yet once it was over, I was eating the local foods, having zero problem, and enjoying myself enormously.

Sometimes, that's how it works.

Had that happen to me in Burma. It was so bad that I actually missed my flight. I now carry a dosage of norfloxacin (very effective against the montezuma) whenever I travel out of North America.

Monday - GoT last night seemed to be the "girding up the loins" episode before the sh!t hits the fan. The worst part of all this is knowing that, up against the Night King, the Starks are going to lose people. Question is: who?

My daughter got an email last week from her alma mater saying that she had won an endowment to the tune of $13K for having the highest GPA in her program when she graduated last spring. Pretty sure the brains and goods look come from my wife's genes....

So, I might have been hasty on my diagnosis of food poisoning the other day. I am now thinking that it could have been a stomach, or intestinal, bug. The reason for my change of heart? My poor wife suffered the same fate on our way down to our hotel in NJ yesterday; a whole two days after my attack. We both had the same thing for dinner the day it got me, so in theory, she should have fell ill at the same time (roughly). I believe that in her efforts to help me while I was doing my best interpretation of a bazooka, she contracted the bug herself, and it manifested yesterday. How many of you can say that you've had the opportunity and privilege of barfing over a Jersey Barrier on the side of the Garden State Parkway? My wife has checked that off the bucket list, sadly.

Fortunately, she was mostly back to normal today. We were able to enjoy our trip to the car show, and even checked out the new Hudson Yards development. I'll post some pics soon. In the meantime, here we are at The Vessel...

Tuesday - After 20 laps in the community center pool AND mowing the lawn, I was well and properly POOPED, though I didn't seem to need a nap yesterday. Might enjoy a walk today before the weather closes in, plus some good music.

Wonderfully. I have something less than two years to pay it off, and with a tad over 37,000 miles on it, it is still Da BOMB. I am enjoying the hell outta that car like I've enjoyed damned near nothing else!

Wonderfully. I have something less than two years to pay it off, and with a tad over 37,000 miles on it, it is still Da BOMB. I am enjoying the hell outta that car like I've enjoyed damned near nothing else!

Didn't know there was a Vegas Golden Knights. Had to google them to learn what sport they played.

Nothing against hockey. It's just never been on my radar.

My only brush with hockey greatness was standing next to Gretzky at an open house at the girl's school our daughters went to in Manhattan. He appeared as thoughtful and friendly in person as he did on every interview I ever viewed of him. Would occasionally see his smokin' hot wife Janet at the corner ice cream store after school. :-)

Didn't know there was a Vegas Golden Knights. Had to google them to learn what sport they played.

Nothing against hockey. It's just never been on my radar.

My only brush with hockey greatness was standing next to Gretzky at an open house at the girl's school our daughters went to in Manhattan. He appeared as thoughtful and friendly in person as he did on every interview I ever viewed of him. Would occasionally see his smokin' hot wife Janet at the corner ice cream store after school. :-)

Smokin' hot hockey wives are apparently on the radar. Not that there's anything wrong with that... ;)

Have been upside down and backwards a few times but this was one of my more spectacular masterpieces of disassembly, occurring at VIR in April of 2011. It happened shortly after setting an altitude record that should have required a pilot's license.

Have been upside down and backwards a few times but this was one of my more spectacular masterpieces of disassembly, occurring at VIR in April of 2011. It happened shortly after setting an altitude record that should have required a pilot's license.

"Have been upside down and backwards a few times but this was one of my more spectacular masterpieces of disassembly, occurring at VIR in April of 2011. It happened shortly after setting an altitude record that should have required a pilot's license."

Yikes!! Glad you weren't hurt. You should have seen if the flight time would count toward your certification for the aforementioned pilot's license.

Based on you pics, feel like I've been to the show. Nice job. Don't think a Mercedes should ever be painted neon green but that's just me.

Was looking at pic 226 of a Ford pickup on a big X elevation stand and thinking they probably used a fork lift to slide the truck in given how close to the ceiling it was when I noticed two gents both at odd angles to the left of the stand. What's funny is they're both leaned way over on one foot so parallel in angle that it almost looks like they are posing there but I'm guessing you captured a happy accident as they hustled from one exhibit to another. :-)

Based on you pics, feel like I've been to the show. Nice job. Don't think a Mercedes should ever be painted neon green but that's just me.

Was looking at pic 226 of a Ford pickup on a big X elevation stand and thinking they probably used a fork lift to slide the truck in given how close to the ceiling it was when I noticed two gents both at odd angles to the left of the stand. What's funny is they're both leaned way over on one foot so parallel in angle that it almost looks like they are posing there but I'm guessing you captured a happy accident as they hustled from one exhibit to another. :-)

You guessed it. Didn’t even see them when I took the pic. Only did it because, like you, I was pondering how they got it up there with the low ceiling. I’d venture to guess you’re on the right track with the forklift theory.

And, thank you. I do take these pictures, in part, to give those who don’t attend a feeling as if they did.

"Until this past February, it seemed like Kyler Murray was destined to play Major League Baseball and not in the NFL. Now, the former first-round pick of the Oakland A’s is strongly being linked to go No. 1 overall to the Arizona Cardinals."

Would be a nice problem to have. Kind of enjoy it, as most kids these days are being funneled into one sport at a very early age. The athletic ability on this guy must be unbelievable though, drafted in the 1st round in two different sports, impressive.

Saw this morning that he indeed was taken first. Wonder if a quarterback could play 2 professional sports? It would have to be a tough contract to work out. Still remember Bo Jackson as the only player to be both an all star in baseball and make the Pro Bowl.

Thursday - A bit late today, but no biggie. Went through Avengers: Infinity War again, in preparation for Endgame, which, so far, is getting excellent notices and, the last I looked, was rated a 97% on rottentomatoes.com. Offhand, I'd say that is about as solid a recommendation as anyone could ask for. No, I won't likely see it tomorrow, but damned soon, for sure.

Wonder what it's rating would be if it wasn't Marvel. I've seen some Marvel films, that I thought were average at best, that were rated quite highly.

Iron Man 2 and Captain Marvel are two MCU pieces which I didn't think were that great, and frankly all of the Captain America films were simply too dark for me, but that's my own tastes. I still think the least of Marvel's handiwork outpoints anything that's come from the DCU.

So, as promised, more pics of our visit to Hudson Yards and what is currently known as The Vessel. Apparently, that name was only temporary, and a contest is currently afoot to select a permanent name for this interactive sculpture.

For those who don't know, Hudson Yards is a new development in Mid-Town Manhattan with retail, commercial and residential buildings all basically held aloft above an existing, and active, rail yard. Quite the feat. It was still partially under construction. Although, all the major stuff is done.

As for the aforementioned Vessel, some pointers in case you decide to visit. It opens at 10am. Tickets are free, but you do need one for entry, and will need to wait in line to acquire one, then again to get in. The tickets are issued with 10 minute increments (10:00, 10:10, 10:20, etc.). They won't let you in until your time; hence waiting in line again. It is a bit chaotic to be honest. They will, however, come through the line asking for people with the current time's tickets to move to the front. So, it doesn't really matter where you are in the line. I would recommend earlier in the day as we pretty much got right in. We had 10:10 tickets, and made it in within a couple of minutes of that time. Once you are "inside", you can head up any of the 2500 individual steps, which connect 80 landings. The 360º views are pretty spectacular. There is an elevator, or rather, an inclinator, that can bring you to the penultimate level of landings. They do reserve it for handicapped, pregnant, or elderly folks however. Only 6 people at a time can fit, and it takes 3 full minutes to go up or down. Here is a link for all the information you could ever want:

Visually, that annular stair complex is so intriguing that I feel as though, at some point or other, I HAVE to visit it. Very beautiful!

You should! I would also add, if you see in the last shot, the square tiles on the landings? Some of them tend to wobble a bit. Can be a little disconcerting on the upper levels if you don’t expect it. And, if you are susceptible to vertigo, stay away! Otherwise, it is really fun.

Impressive as that area was the derelict remnants of the old elevated west side highway and rail yard where Ringling Brothers used to bring their circus train. They'd then have their yearly publicity walk of elephants and horses east to Madison Square Garden.

Yeah, I'm not impressed. I have an idea that the seasons have actually shifted somewhat in the last decade, by about 3-4 weeks. Not sure if it's climate change, or what, but it seems to stay warmer later into the fall, and winter hangs around longer. Where we used to regularly have snow on the ground to stay by the end of November, it doesn't seem to happen until at least mid-December or even Christmas time. And then today, this nonsense. Flurries (and even major storms) were not uncommon in the first week of April, but not at the end of the month.

Yeah, I'm not impressed. I have an idea that the seasons have actually shifted somewhat in the last decade, by about 3-4 weeks. Not sure if it's climate change, or what, but it seems to stay warmer later into the fall, and winter hangs around longer. Where we used to regularly have snow on the ground to stay by the end of November, it doesn't seem to happen until at least mid-December or even Christmas time. And then today, this nonsense. Flurries (and even major storms) were not uncommon in the first week of April, but not at the end of the month.

Agreed. Been thinking the same thing myself for a few years now at least. We got some flurries here, but nothing is sticking. I’m just glad I opted to mow the lawn two days ago when it was in the mid 60’s and sunny.

When you're ready to step up to the big leagues, let me know. We've got about 3" to 4" on the ground, it's still coming down, and they are forecasting 8".

I don't mind though, the snow soaks in slower than the rain, which has a greater tendency to just run off, I wasn't planning on cutting the grass/trimming the hedge/suntanning/run a 1/2 marathon today anyways, it will probably be gone by Monday, and it was pretty dry.